When the 2008
Thunderbike UK motorcycle championship sets off on March 8th-
9th, Brands Hatch and racing enthusiasts the world over will
witness a new beginning for Alto Performance Racing and for the
sport. With its unique Vyrus 994cc bike featuring a front swing
arm suspension system with hub-centre steering, the Alto team
will be pioneering a design conceived decades ago that modern
materials, production technologies and electronics systems have
now made a race winning reality.
Working closely with the Alto team, Towcester based Variohm Eurosensor
supplies position, pressure and temperature sensors to measure
and continuously improve the impressive machines' performance.

Unlike conventional motorbikes with front forks which suffer
from inherent handling problems caused by deflection and stiction
plus a tendency to 'dive' under braking, the aluminium swing
arm separates the steering and damping systems to offer much
improved handling as the trail and the steering angle remain
constant in all conditions.
As with all levels of competitive autosports, monitoring dynamic
data and interpreting results is fundamental to performance improvement.
At the test track and on race days, Alto use Variohms' sensors
under extremely arduous conditions to acquire fast and precise
feedback for race critical parameters that include front/ rear
suspension position, front/rear brake pressure and throttle position
along with tyre and ambient air temperatures, barometric pressure
and engine rpm.

These real-time readings combine to pin-point information delivered
from the bikes' CANbus network by telemetry to data loggers that
determine exactly how a machine and rider has responded to the
intricacies of the track and provide the race team with essential
statistics for continuous design and set-up improvement - and
race winning performance.

The ruggedised Autosports version of the ELP series slimline
linear position transducers are used for the suspension ride-height
feedback during braking, cornering, track bumps and undulations.
The compact sensors conductive plastic track is fully sealed
to IP67 and fast replacement is assured with optional 'pop' mountings.
High linearity and excellent positional repeatability combine
with a very wide temperature range and mechanical life in excess
of 25 million operations to provide a highly reliable position
feedback transducer.
The bikes' throttle reading is measured with a Vertex 13E series,
14-bit resolution angle sensor. This highly durable and compact
13 mm diameter sensor is IP69 rated and the non-contact hall
effect and magnet design yields an almost limitless life. Within
the Vyrus application the programmable 0 - 360 degree electrical
angle is calibrated in-situ to provide highly accurate and repeatable
power feedback. The throttle reading can even provide the race
team with precise details of when control is momentarily lost
due to unexpected track bumps affecting the riders grip.

EPT series 1200 pressure sensors provide dynamic and high speed
brake pressure information from a very rugged yet compact high
strength stainless steel packaged design. Measuring up to 400
bar, the hermitically welded, thin film measuring cell and high
level output circuit technology ensures this sensor is suitable
for the demanding shock and vibration levels experienced within
the application. The sensors help confirm when and how the bike
is losing traction and detect the minute compression changes
in front and rear suspension.

The bikes unique front swing arm suspension system with hub-centre
steering design can be attributed to two mechanical engineering
students in the 1980's as a graduation project with additional
development carried out by the Italian Bimota Company and later
by Vyrus of Rimini. The history should also include thanks to
the British engineer Jack DiFazio for the hub-centre steering
system he developed in the 1970's and even to the 1920's Neracar
motorcycle that attempted to improve the limitations imposed
by front forks for combined steering and suspension.

It is true to say that these previous designs suffered from production
quality and weight problems but as materials and manufacturing
technology moves on there is strong optimism that hub-centred
steering could make a big difference to the motorcycle racing
industry and even prove a safer and more durable design for road
bikes.
Northampton based Alto Performance Racing, led by brothers Ben
and Aarron Shaughnessy with rider Phil Read, raced in the same
competition last season with a traditionally front forked Laverda
750cc and finished in third place with fifty percent podium positions.
For this year's Thunderbike series, which is based upon strict
power-to-weight ratio rulings, the team and rider will remain
the same - so the new chassis and steering design has a definitive
benchmark to compete against.

Ben Shaughnessy, the Alto Team Technical Director who has always
had a passion for hub-centre steering and took 6 months off from
his 'day job' running the team to develop the design says "This
is a genuine attempt to race and demonstrate this technology
to its natural winning conclusion - and to show that motorcycle
forks and frames are truly 'old fashioned' and in need of newer
technology." He adds "Thanks to our mostly British
based sponsors like Variohm, who have provided the worlds leading
engineering and technology solutions, we have the best possible
chance to succeed."

Full details of the bike and the technology can be found at www.altoperformance.com
Full details on Variohm's range of sensors can be found at www.variohm.com